Peace and Serenity
by Alisha Winchester Collins
Summary: It started out with a hug between an angel and a young blonde hunter, which led to something more on Christmas Eve... Cas/Jo pairing. One-shot.


**Surprise! I ended up writing another Cas/Jo fanfic! Since its Christmas time, I thought why not add a little fluff for our sweet angel Cas! It's a one-shot, hope you all enjoy! ^_^**

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><p>It had started off with one simple gesture, nothing too big and certainly nothing too small; it was just a hug from one friend to the other, and that was all... wasn't it? Jo wasn't sure about that last bit anymore, and she didn't know why, but that one hug from him just made her feel... safe. Safe? What did that feel like at this point in her life, when there was no one to support her, to talk to her, to just <em>be<em> with her... she was alone... or so she had thought. They had met a few months ago when she and her mom met up with Dean and Sam while they were fighting to save their lives against one of Lucifer's horsemen – War. Everyone in River Pass, Colorado seemed to have been infected with some sort of pandemic demon possession with everyone trying to kill each other, which had included herself nearly turning against her own mom... and Dean.

_Dean. Dean Winchester._ He was supposed to have been her protector, someone whom she could trust, whom she could always count on to be there for her... at least that was what Jo had thought when she had first met Dean nearly three years ago at the Roadhouse; with his goofy grin and deep green eyes, Jo Harvelle nearly felt weak in the knees whenever she was around him. They had worked only a case or two together before he had just vanished from her life with Sam and never contacted her again. It was Ellen who had told her of Dean's death almost a year after he had left her and for days Jo felt as if her heart was being crushed into tiny pieces slowly and slowly each day. To say it was surprising to suddenly see him, standing in front of her without any explanation and after nearly getting killed in Colorado, was an understatement. She was thrilled to see him alive and back in action, just like the old Dean. He and Sam had tracked War down and cured the whole town. After that, it wasn't a matter of choice but a necessity that she and Ellen would join Dean and Sam for a few months, until they dealt with Lucifer once and for all.

That was when they had finally met each other; the day she, Dean, Sam and her mother reached Bobby's house, _he_ had been waiting for them. She had heard all about him from the two brothers and always knew it would be an honor to meet him, but now that he was here, in front of her in Bobby's living room just standing there watching her closely with his big blue eyes, Jo knew that there was no way in Heaven that she would be able to face an angel... let alone this one; dressed in a suit with a tan trench coat and a silver sword in his hand, Castiel radiated an aura of power that nearly overwhelmed Jo. Fortunately she had somehow managed to find her voice and after introductions were made, everyone got down to business and there was never really enough time for the two of them to have a proper conversation. It was only when they had finally found Lucifer's next destination at Carthage did Fate grant her that one night alone with the angel. Their supposedly last night on Earth did not really turn out to be their last night, though for Jo it nearly had been; and in those few moments when she felt the life draining out of her, the only thought that she played over and over again in her mind before the end, was that hug.

The night before the attack at Carthage, Dean and Sam had passed out in their rooms, both of them having had a little too much to drink, Bobby had long retired to sleep and her mother let her remain alone in the hall as she too went upstairs a few moments ago. Jo still remembered the silence, that filled the whole house, was comforting to everything that she was feeling just then, a rush of emotions and muddled thoughts – of her father, Dean, her mom. They were fighting to save the world from destruction and if there was a chance that one of them wouldn't make it, Jo was prepared to face the worst. A sudden tiny gust of air blew across her face, causing some of her golden blonde hair to fly over her eyes and broke her chain of memories - she was brought back to the present when she felt a strong yet smooth hand reach out and brush the hair behind her ear and she looked up to see a pair of bright blue eyes staring at her with their usual expression, one of genuine concern and calmness that caused Jo to feel her heart beats rising.

"Hello Joanna..." His voice was a little husky with a silk touch to it and just hearing her name from his lips sent a shiver down her spine.

"I've told you to call me Jo..." She told him, lowering her head slightly as she pretended to pull back her hair while all she wanted to do was hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks.

"Yes... I remember... Jo." It felt a little new to him, not using her full name whenever he met her but if that was what she wanted then he was more than happy to listen to her.

The two of them fell quiet after that and looking back on this memory now, Jo wondered whether if she would have left had it not been for Castiel's grim and serious face that had stopped her; she knew that doing so would have meant that the hug would never have happened and as soon as that thought entered her mind, Jo shook it off and found herself getting lost in the memory of her hug with Castiel.

"Are you alright?" He had asked her, noticing that she seemed a little preoccupied than usual. "May I be of any help to you?" Castiel was aware of the fact that he and Jo did not know each other too much, but whatever little he knew about her, it was enough for him to feel comfortable around her.

"Its nothing Cas..." Jo said with a soft sigh, she had been thinking about Dean again but it was of no use, not yet at least.

"If you say it is nothing then I will not say anything else." Castiel replied to her, wondering for the first time if he was supposed to remain where he was or leave and give Jo some 'personal space' as Dean called it.

Making up his mind to leave the room, Castiel had been about to turn away when he suddenly felt a soft silken touch on his arm and he glanced back to see Jo's hand wrapped around his. The moment their eyes met, something seemed to register in her mind and she pulled back her hand from Castiel's arm.

"Sorry... I just... it would be nice to have some company y'know." She said quickly; Jo had almost forgotten that Castiel was an angel.

But it was not that fact which was bothering her, rather, the second their hands had connected Jo had literally felt an electric spark between the two of them. She shook it off, blaming it on static energy but it was harder to get rid of the sudden feeling that was rising in her chest.

"Company... companionship... are you looking for a companion?" Castiel asked her suddenly; he was still getting used to the idea of having a young girl around him.

Jo couldn't help but let out a hoarse laugh when she heard that. It was a cheesy line right from the 19th century or something and yet hearing it from Castiel didn't make it sound so bad. She shook her head, still unable to speak, completely oblivious to the fact that the angel had tilted his head ever so slightly to gaze at her laughing so suddenly with a curious expression on his face. When Jo had finally calmed down, she immediately sensed Castiel's eyes on her and became conscious of the fact that she was only wearing a black tank-top with cargo pants.

"I... no... I don't need a companion Cas..." Jo started to say as she began to wonder why she was hesitating while speaking, "Just someone to be with for the night is fine." She said and quickly turned away to star-gaze outside the window.

"I am free for the night. I can be with you for as long as you wish." Castiel stated simply, not knowing that his words would gain another meaning to it sometime in the future.

Jo closed her eyes trying to stop the memory from continuing to play. Here she was, alone in some old shabby motel room waiting for the sunrise so that she could finish her job and meet up with her mom, Dean and Sam, but all she could think of was the night that Castiel had hugged her; it wasn't really surprising that she was remembering this memory once again, each time she felt as if she missed the angel, her mind would always take her back to that one moment where she had experienced what being safe really meant. Before she knew it, Jo found herself reliving the further details of that night.

"Thanks." Jo remembered that after hearing Castiel's last words, she had been a little taken aback but without revealing her discomfort, she had merely thanked him for joining her in doing nothing at all for the rest of the night.

"Peace and serenity." Castiel suddenly spoke up after staring out at the night sky filled with stars and constellations alike.

"What about it?" She sounded confused, wondering what the angel was talking about. Peace and serenity?

"They are two emotions that I am experiencing... it is something that I have not felt in a very long time. I am here with you, watching the stars in the sky and I feel a sense of peacefulness." Castiel explained and then did something that surprised Jo; he smiled.

"Really? I wish I could feel some peace and serenity right now." Jo replied, not wanting to ruin the mood but hadn't been able to stop herself.

Jo recalled the way Castiel had turned his whole body to look at her when she had said those words. It was clear as crystal, he was concerned and definitely appeared so at that time. His face said it all. Perhaps that was what had made him hug her a few minutes later; Jo wasn't sure but it didn't really matter why he had done it, knowing that he had given her what she needed to feel, she was content with that. Leaning against the windowsill in her motel room, the young hunter let the memory take its course.

"Why? Are you not feeling peaceful tonight?" Castiel's voice was filled with confusion and concern mixed together.

"I rarely feel peaceful these days... when you're a hunter, there isn't much scope for peace. And definitely not tonight... not when we're gonna face the Devil tomorrow... who knows whether there will be anything after that?" Jo wasn't sure why she was confiding her innermost fears to Castiel, she thought that Dean would be the first to know.

"The new day has not yet begun Jo... why worry about it when there is still this night?" The angel suddenly moved towards the window where she was standing, "Live for today... That is something I have learned since my time on Earth." He told her.

"Wow... spending time with Dean and Sam has made you philosophical hasn't it?" Jo mused, looking pleasantly surprised.

"They have taught me a lot of things... the most important being family and love." Castiel went on, "I do not know much about human families but Dean says that it is not unlike my family in Heaven."

"And love?" Jo didn't realize that she had asked him the question out loud until she heard it from her lips. Her heart was behaving weirdly again, but she shook the feeling off.

"Love." Castiel said, the word sounding as ethereal from his lips as the angel himself. "I think it is a term that cannot be easily explained in words but expressed through actions... spending all this time with Dean and Sam has shown me what brotherly love is like." His words seemed so simple but they were having a profound effect on Jo.

"Right..." Jo suddenly felt as if she should leave the room that very second, staying around Castiel was making her conscious.

"Jo? Are you alright?" Castiel must have noticed her sudden change in behavior or rather sensed something was different suddenly.

"Huh?" Jo was distracted. She didn't know why, but after hearing what the angel had to say, Jo didn't feel as happy as she had been with him around her.

There was silence all around the house and nothing stirred in the world outside just then. Jo remembered that it had seemed as if everyone had fallen into a deep slumber leaving only her and Castiel wide awake, together in the hall of Bobby's house where they stood a few feet apart from each other; neither one speaking anymore. Castiel had been the first one to do something to break the quiet atmosphere.

Instead of saying anything to Jo, Castiel simply closed the distance between him and the young woman standing in front of him and when he was mere inches away from her, close enough to see that her eyes had widened slightly as she watched him without saying a word. The angel was sure this is what Dean meant when he used to talk about invading one's personal space but right now, Castiel was more concerned with making sure that Jo was all right and there was only one way to do that. Without much hesitance, he took hold of both her hands in his and put them around his neck as he let his hands slide around her waist. Instinctively, without realizing what had just happened, Jo remembered leaning in closer to Castiel and found herself laying her head on his chest. She didn't know for how long the two of them stayed that way, holding each other, but what she knew was that the hug was the best thing that had happened to her in a very very long time.

It was only when Jo finally processed the thought that Castiel was hugging her did it finally hit her what everything meant; all these sudden, unknown and inexplicable feelings that were forming inside of her, the increase in her heart beats whenever she focused her gaze on the angel for too long and most importantly the feeling of peace and serenity that had arose in her as soon as she hugged him, it all made sense to her now – she was beginning to fall in love with Castiel.

Jo sighed as she opened her eyes as the memory ended. The rest of the night had gone by with her in a state of confusion and deep thought. Ever since then, Jo had come to terms that if not love, then at least she was already attracted to Castiel. And now, standing here in this motel room, Jo sighed as she decided it was time to turn in, if only for a few hours of sleep, being a hunter did not mean that it was forbidden to rest, but Jo always knew that the nerves of facing another demon the next morning would keep her on edge. The choice to take up certain cases on her own was a decision that she never regretted, but it was on night's like this did she miss the company of her mother. No longer was she hung up on Dean, but neither was she planning to act on her feelings for Castiel, whatever they may be.

"Might as well call it a night." Jo muttered to herself as she shut the curtains, blocking out the blazing glare of the lights which had been strung all around the parking lot down till the street, in time for Christmas.

A sudden noise from somewhere inside the motel room alerted Jo; it was a tiny ringing noise. Her phone was ringing. Shaking her head clear of thoughts, she mentally whacked herself for not realizing that someone was calling her.

"Hello?" Jo said as she flipped the phone open and held it to her ear, wondering who was calling her at such a late hour.

"_Merry Christmas Jo!" _The two voices of Sam and Dean Winchester echoed in unison as they both wished her. _"How are you doing?"_ This was Dean, who seemed to have won the fight with Sam over who would talk to her first.

"I'm doing fine Dean... thanks for checking up on me." Jo replied sullenly as she felt her heart sink. Tonight was Christmas Eve; it explained why she was even more depressed than ever.

"_You sure you okay? Is it chilly out there?"_ Dean's concern for her came across as more brotherly than anything else and Jo finally understood that.

"Its a little cold, but no snow." She remembered that this was the first time she was away from her mother on this festival and more than anything, Jo wished she could be back home with Ellen.

"_You're coming home tomorrow right? Just in time for Christmas! Cas will be joining in the fun too. Call us when you're on your way."_ Dean told her.

"I will." The reply was monotonous and a little distant even for her, but Jo hadn't heard anything that Dean had said after learning that Castiel would be there the next day.

She hung up on Dean after that, not in the mood to talk to Sam; her mom was on another case, working with Bobby while the brothers were at home recovering from a nasty encounter with a shapeshifter. Jo was still hazy on the details, but she did recall Sam mentioning a baby shapeshifter who had been named Bobby John. As soon as the lights were off, Jo headed to her bed while noticing that the clock still read 11:55 pm; it was not yet the 25th of December, but what did it matter anyway? Jo shrugged her low mood off and was about to crash asleep when she heard the all-too familiar whooshing sound from behind.

"Hello Jo." He was here, right now at this very moment. Castiel.

Jo spun around so quickly that she nearly fell back on her bed, but even as she was about to drop down on the low sinking mattress, Castiel had caught her by the waist with one hand.

"Are you okay Jo?" Castiel was staring intently; it was the only thing he hadn't been able to change about himself in these past few months. Ever since Lucifer had killed him and he had miraculously returned to life, Castiel was more humanized than he had been before the Apocalypse was averted.

"Oh... yea, I'm fine... thanks." Jo managed to say as she straightened up, well aware of the fact that she had grabbed onto Castiel's trench coat for support.

Even if Castiel heard her, the angel showed no signs of letting go of her; he was too busy lost in her eyes; from the way he was gazing into her eyes it looked as if he was trying to get inside her mind to see what was going on and why she was looking unhappy.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed your sleep." He suddenly said, letting his hand fall from her waist but didn't move away.

"I wasn't sleeping yet... Dean just called... to wish me for Christmas." Jo told him, only now was she able to see that Castiel was the one who appeared a little nervous about something.

"Yes, I know... Sam has requested me to join in the celebrations as well. Dean found it amusing to learn that I have not taken part in the Christmas fun before, as he calls it." Castiel said, trying to break free from Jo's intense stare, she knew something was up.

"Uh-huh... Dean has been like that since childhood apparently." She too was lost in thoughts and spoke a little absent-mindedly; her curiosity was peaking now. Castiel was definitely behaving weirdly.

Jo could sense that the mood around her and Castiel was changing, he was acting a little awkwardly than usual, even for him. There was something in his eyes, she couldn't figure out what it was until she looked straight into those bright blue eyes and saw... worry?

"Dean wants to get me stuck under the mistletoe." Before she knew it, Jo heard the words escape Castiel's lips, revealing the reason for his worry, which seemed more like fear now.

"Mistletoe?" It took a second for Jo to understand what Castiel was talking about. "Oh! Oh... I see." So it was Dean's plan then; that was no surprise, but it was a little interesting to see that Castiel was uncomfortable with the idea, after all it was obvious even to him that Dean's intentions were to get Castiel his first kiss.

"Yes. Mistletoe... I do not understand Dean and his plans. He is adamant that I kiss someone tomorrow under the mistletoe and it seems as if Sam is involved in this as well." Castiel was clearly not happy with the idea.

"Ah... well there could be a way to get out of this mess... if you disappeared before the clock strikes midnight." Jo suggested, knowing that this wasn't supposed to be bothering her, but it was.

"I thought that the kiss is supposed to happen tonight at midnight." Castiel said, and all of a sudden, there was a look in his eyes that showed he was hiding something else.

Hearing his words, Jo couldn't help but snap her eyes towards the clock by the bedside table, in time to see the numbers flip from 11:58 pm to 11:59 pm. There was only a minute left now.

"That is generally the idea... yes..." Jo suddenly felt her heart thumping against her chest more erratically than it should.

"Well then I guess I will have to change Dean's plans then." He said to her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Jo knew that this was the last time either one of them said anything.

Her thoughts proved to be true when Castiel decided to meet her eyes directly once again as he walked towards her, barely leaving an inch of space between them; he was so close to her that Jo could feel his warm breath tickle her cheeks. She bent her head in an attempt to hide the blush which was rising from her throat but couldn't hide the shiver that went down her spine when she felt Castiel's fingers under her chin as he made her look up, their eyes locking with each other. It was as if time stopped and Jo vaguely realized that her mind was shutting down as well.

Castiel didn't waste any time, he immediately grabbed Jo's waist and pulled her to him as he brought his lips to hers. She reached up and wrapped her arms arms around his neck, hands going to his hair and silently granted him access when his lips nudged her mouth open; the kiss deepened as their tongues danced around each other and their bodies slowly mingled into one. Minutes later, though it felt longer than that, Castiel slowly broke apart from the kiss, for Jo to catch her breath. Her eyes were still closed, her lips were red and her breathing was uneven but all she knew was that she belonged there, in his arms with her head buried in his neck.

"Merry Christmas Jo..." Castiel whispered softly in her ears as he hugged her tight, letting his smile grow brighter and bigger.

It was when she heard that did Jo suddenly glance up at him, no longer worried about the fact that she was blushing red all over. Seeing the smile on his face, Jo was about to smile back when she saw the clock behind him, it was past midnight, which meant that this had been her midnight kiss with Castiel.

"Was this your plan?" She asked him in a low voice, not sounding angry, but sad. This is what she had dreamed of and now, Jo wished that it was not only because Castiel needed a kiss.

"Yes and no. I know what you are thinking about Jo... this is my first kiss and it was the only way to get out of Dean's plan, but that does not mean that I used you... I would have kissed you tomorrow night as well, in fact, that is exactly what I plan to do." Castiel knew that his actions may have been misinterpreted by Jo, which is why he had been nervous all along, but after the kiss... he felt confident.

"But..." Jo hesitated, unsure of what to say to him. Did she tell Castiel that she had feelings for him that might be love? Should she ask him if he loved her?

"Look at me Jo." Castiel told her as he cupped her cheeks with both his hands, "I have felt a strong connection with you ever since I first met you all those months ago, in this very house... and the night I hugged you, it was because I could not see you sad... that was when I realized that I am in love with you. Ever since then, I always have wanted to kiss you, but I was afraid... of your reaction and of the others' as well... especially Dean, because I know that he holds a special place in your heart. It was why I did not want to say anything, but somehow Dean guessed what I was going through and he is the one who sent me here tonight."

"You... you love me?" Jo's eyes widened in surprise when she heard him say those words to her.

"I do. I love you Joanna Beth Harvelle..." Castiel said unabashedly and without hesitating, using her full name as a way of proving that he meant every word.

"I love you Cas!" Jo said as she smiled brightly, not pausing to think about anything. Now that she knew Castiel loved her and Dean knew about it already, there was nothing else she wanted more in the world.

They hugged again and this time Jo was the one to stand on her toes so that she could kiss Castiel for the second time. Half an hour later found the two of them laying down on the bed, Jo having fallen asleep on Castiel's chest while he stayed awake, with one arm around her shoulders and his free hand entwined with hers. As she snuggled closer to him, Jo mumbled something in her sleep but it was loud enough for the angel to understand what she said.

"Merry Christmas Cas." Jo had a tiny smile playing on her lips as she sighed happily in her sleep.

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><p><strong>Any X'mas Reviews?<strong>


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